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A top Senate Republican is demanding that the heads of several immigration-focused units at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) testify publicly before the Senate.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called on the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) to come before his panel, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, next month.

In three separate letters to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, Paul noted that DHS had received ‘an exceptional amount of funding to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws.’

‘Congress has an obligation to conduct oversight of those tax dollars and ensure the funding is used to accomplish the mission, provide proper support for our law enforcement, and, most importantly, protect the American people,’ Paul wrote.

‘I write to request your testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at an open hearing by February 12, 2026,’ he continued. ‘Please provide your availability to appear before the Committee by the close of business on January 28, 2026.’

Paul’s request comes on the heels of the second fatal shooting involving a border patrol agent and U.S. citizen in the last month since the Trump administration ordered DHS to enter Minnesota.

Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good were both fatally shot by border patrol agents, which has prompted pushback from Senate Democrats and some Republicans on the Trump administration’s activity in the state.

But Paul’s request is more focused on the funding element of the situation.

Senate Democrats are gearing up to block the upcoming DHS funding bill, which could thrust the government into another shutdown. And Paul wants to know how the billion already allocated to the agency, likely through President Donald Trump’s ‘one, big beautiful bill,’ are being used.

Paul’s request also comes as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early March after several months of not responding to a pair of requests from Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

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Business

Trump sues JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5B over alleged ‘debanking’

President Donald Trump on Thursday filed a $5 billion lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon, claiming that the bank improperly closed his accounts for political reasons.

‘While we regret President Trump has sued us, we believe the suit has no merit,’ a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said. ‘We respect the President’s right to sue us and our right to defend ourselves – that’s what courts are for.’

The suit accuses the bank of libel and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. It also says the bank and its chief executive violated Florida trade practices laws.

The suit says Trump held ‘several’ accounts at the firm which were closed.

On Feb. 19, 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, the bank notified Trump that the accounts would be closed within two months, the suit also says.

The lawsuit adds to a still-growing list of legal efforts from Trump directed at a wide variety of institutions — from media outlets to tech platforms — many of which have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements. The president’s company, the Trump Organization, sued Capital One Bank last year over allegations of improper account closures. Capital One said at the time that the allegations have no merit.

Dimon, as head of JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, is among the most influential people in the business world and someone who has been courted for years by Republicans and Democrats. In the run-up to the 2024 election, Trump falsely claimed that Dimon had endorsed him.

Dimon has at times been critical of some Trump policies — most notably inflation — while supportive of others, including efforts to streamline the U.S. government.

On Wednesday, Dimon criticized the Trump administration over its immigration policies.

‘I don’t like what I’m seeing,’ Dimon told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Dimon also said that while he doesn’t agree with everything the administration does, he does agree with some of its economic policies.

On Saturday, Trump threatened the lawsuit in a Truth Social post. Over the weekend, JPMorgan Chase said it appreciated ‘that this administration has moved to address political debanking and we support those efforts.’

Almost exactly one year ago, Trump used an address at the World Economic Forum to take a shot at JPMorgan and its competitor, Bank of America.

‘I hope you start opening your bank to conservatives because many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business,’ Trump said.

“You and Jamie and everybody, I hope you’re going to open your banks to conservatives because what you’re doing is wrong,” Trump said.

Bank of America said that it serves over 70 million consumers and does not close accounts for political reasons. JPMorgan says that it also serves tens of millions of accounts and likewise does not close accounts on political grounds.

In an expletive-laden interview with CNBC last year, Trump vented his frustrations at big banks that close accounts for legal and regulatory reasons.

‘I had JPMorgan Chase — I had hundreds of millions of dollars in cash,’ Trump told the cable network on Aug. 5. ‘I was loaded up with cash, and they told me, ‘I’m sorry, sir, we can’t have you.”

Trump says he was informed he had 20 days to move his assets out of the bank. ‘I said, ‘You got to be kidding. I’ve been with you for 35, 40 years,” the president recounted.

Trump said, ‘then what happens is I call a Bank of America.’

‘And they have zero interest,’ he said. CEO Brian Moynihan ‘was kissing my a– when I was president, and when I called him after I was president to deposit a billion dollars plus and a lot of other things … and he said, ‘we can’t do it.”

The JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said Thursday that the bank ‘does not not close accounts for political or religious reasons. We do close accounts because they create legal or regulatory risk for the company.’

Trump was indicted multiple times after his first term in office. In 2024, he was indicted on charges that he conspired to defraud the United States, conspiracy to to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

In recent years, banks have faced intense pressure from conservatives leveling ‘debanking’ claims against them. However, banks and their lobbying groups have long maintained that they do not close accounts for political or religious reasons, but they close accounts based primarily on legal or regulatory grounds.

Trump’s administration has sought to ease those regulations in order to make it harder for a bank to close a customer’s account. In August, Trump signed an executive order which sought to end ‘politicized or unlawful debanking activities.’

In September, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, one of the top banking regulators, began a review of banking rules to ‘depoliticize the banking system.’

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Sports

Arizona stays No. 1 in reshuffled men’s college basketball poll

The new USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll is out, and unbeaten Arizona will spend a third week at No. 1. The Wildcats hold on to the top spot in unanimous fashion once again, though they’ll get a major Big 12 test Monday night at No. 13 Brigham Young.

There was less of a consensus among the 31 panelists for the No. 2 spot. Michigan will hold on to it for another week, but No. 3 Connecticut is just seven poll points behind the Wolverines. Duke hangs on to the No. 4 position, and Nebraska establishes another all-time best ranking as it cracks the top five.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

Gonzaga climbs two places to No. 6, as Houston slips just one spot to No. 7 after losing a close one on the road at No. 11 Texas Tech. Michigan State, Iowa State and Illinois round out the top 10 as Purdue slides eight places to No. 12.

Georgia is the week’s lone dropout, but two teams join the ranking. That’s because there is a tie for 25th between returning Iowa and unbeaten Miami (Ohio) making its first appearance in the coaches poll Top 25 since March 31, 1991.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Deion Sanders displays pro-style system of fines for Colorado players

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has implemented a system of fines for players who violate team rules.
Fines range from $400 for being late to a meeting to $5,000 for social media misconduct.
Players are also required to wear Nike apparel, and an appeal process is available for any fines issued.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has laid out an NFL-style system of fines for his players if they violate team rules, including $500 for being late to practice.

He showed it on the video screen in his first team meeting of 2026 on Jan. 23, as briefly seen in a video posted by his oldest son, Deion Jr. Here is what it said:

Late to practice: $500
No-show to practice: $2,500
Late to meeting or film session: $400
No-show to meeting or film session: $2,000
Late to strength and conditioning workout: $1,000
No-show to strength and conditioning workout: $1,500
Late to treatment: $1,000
Violation of team rules: $1,000-$2,500 based on severity.
Public or social media misconduct: $2,000-$5,000
Damage to university or team property: repair cost +$3,000
Loss of team technology or equipment: replacement cost +$1,000
Players also are required to wear Nike shoes and apparel while representing the university at practices, games and organized team activities. Colorado has been a Nike-sponsored school since 1995. Sanders also is sponsored by Nike. Failure to comply also could result in disciplinary action.

There is an appeal process for players, with final decisions issued within five business days. But it’s another example of the professionalization of college sports, with players this year getting paid directly by schools for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).

A Colorado athletic department spokesman said the fines are ‘completely independent of a player’s NIL licensing agreement.’ They are administered by the football program, and the money collected from them goes back into athletic department operating funds.

A lack of discipline apparently was an issue for Colorado last year, when the Buffaloes finished 3-9 during Sanders’ third season in charge.

“All these lates and tardies and all these things, we can’t have that this year,” Colorado receivers coach Jason Phillips told the team. “Those are the things we will eliminate… Two ways to eliminate that. Either you change, or we change you.”

Sanders has brought in 42 new scholarship transfer players this year, offsetting more than 35 scholarship players who transferred out.

“You all are hand-picked, hand-picked, hand-picked,” Sanders told the team. “We watched darn near every one of y’all.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

What we know: K-State women’s basketball player out for NCAA violation

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Kansas State women’s basketball team, now 11-10, which made the NCAA Tournament three of the past four seasons.

Senior Tess Heal, who averages 9.8 points per game, played in both of Kansas State’s wins over ranked opponents this season — Texas Tech and Ole Miss — and scored in double figures.

But Heal was held out of the Wildcats’ loss on Sunday to rival Kansas due to an NCAA violation. While Kansas State has not confirmed what the violation is, multiple sources confirmed to USA Today Sports that it’s related to Heal signing a contract with a professional team in Australia.

Multiple posts on social media indicate Heal signed with Keilor Thunder of NBL1, a club based in Victoria, Australia, earlier this month. While the NBL1 season doesn’t begin until the spring, it is still an NCAA violation to sign a professional contract while participating in college athletics.

Talking to reporters after the loss at Kansas on Sunday, Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie seemed optimistic Heal would return to the Wildcats this season.

“We hope for a quick resolution,” Mittie said. “I don’t think — she made a mistake in regards to the timing of it — but there’s nothing else. We feel good that as soon as she gets through the reinstatement process, we’ll have her back.”

A spokesperson for Kansas State told USA Today Sports on Monday afternoon that there hasn’t been a change in Heal’s status since Saturday evening and the NCAA is reviewing her case.

“We have been in communication with the NCAA in regards to this situation,” Mittie said in a statement. “She is currently going through the reinstatement process and we are thankful for the NCAA’s prompt responses in this matter.”

One women’s basketball coach familiar with NBL1 told USA Today Sports most Australian players who exhaust their NCAA eligibility will go play in the league when their college season is over. Typically, those players make verbal agreements with teams in advance and then officially sign when the college season ends.

The NCAA got wind of Heal’s deal when social media accounts for the Keilor Thunder and NBL1 posted about her signing last week. Those posts have since been deleted from Facebook and Instagram.

An agent who has represented Heal in NIL negotiations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Heal is a native of Melbourne, Australia, who previously played at Santa Clara and Stanford before transferring to Kansas State last year. She was the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023. She has averaged 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists over her college career.

This situation with Heal arises at a time when men’s college basketball is grappling with its own eligibility issues. Baylor added James Nnaji, who was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2023, to its roster this season. Alabama also recently added a player with NBA G-League experience, Charles Bediako, to its roster.

Kansas State’s second-leading scorer this season, Nastja Claessens, was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2024, but never signed a contract with the team and has not played in a WNBA game.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Politics

Russia reportedly slams Trump’s Golden Dome as ‘provocative’ as trillion-dollar shield takes shape

Russia criticized the U.S.’ proposed Golden Dome missile defense system Monday, warning it could destabilize global nuclear deterrence, according to reports.

According to TASS, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev told Kommersant newspaper that the ambitious project is extremely ‘provocative.’

‘Problems in the strategic sphere resulting from destabilizing U.S. actions only continue to grow. It is enough to recall the highly provocative anti-missile project ‘Golden Dome for America,’’ he said, TASS reported.

‘It fundamentally contradicts the assertion of the inseparable interrelationship between offensive and defensive strategic arms, which, by the way, was enshrined in the preamble of New START,’ Medvedev added, citing the treaty that protects U.S. national security by placing limits on Russia’s deployed intercontinental nuclear weapons.

A defense expert says Russia’s reaction underscores the Golden Dome’s power as a geopolitical signal to the world.

‘Even before it has been built, the dome is military focused and politically focused and an incredible bargaining chip with U.S. adversaries,’ defense expert Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital.

‘In this case, it is Russia and China in particular, in terms of how the U.S. postures for negotiating peace terms, treaty terms and whether the U.S. will be negating their already existing arsenal,’ the Draganfly CEO claimed.

The Golden Dome is a long-term missile defense concept aimed at protecting North America from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats.

Chell spoke after the Pentagon released its National Defense Strategy on Jan. 23, outlining a renewed focus on homeland defense, expanded missile defense, counter-drone systems, cyber capabilities and long-range strike forces.

The planned Golden Dome missile defense shield is designed to defeat ‘large missile barrages and other advanced aerial attacks,’ the strategy said, while also hardening military and key civilian infrastructure against cyber strikes as Russia and China continue expanding their hypersonic weapons programs.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, China has also pushed back against the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, accusing Washington of undermining global strategic stability and risking the weaponization of outer space.

‘There’s big value in the talk and the build-out of Golden Dome, even long before it gets built, not to mention the research and technology development that comes out of it,’ Chell said.

‘The posturing and the economic benefits of building something like this are also factored into why the dome is so important.’

The project’s sheer scale is expected to drive its strategic impact but could also come with an enormous price tag.

‘The dome is going to take trillions to build and is the largest military project, probably the largest engineering and technology project ever attempted, so there are going to be challenges getting it done,’ Chell explained.

‘The U.S. has ten years of planning, including where they are going to have communication links, radar systems, and early warning systems.’ That planning, Chell noted, is shifting focus north.

‘In order to protect the U.S., you want to take things down before they get over the top of the country,’ Chell said.

‘Places like Canada, or even further north, become the dropping ground. You want to get these threats as soon as possible.’

Canada and Greenland are viewed by U.S. defense planners as critical for radar coverage, space tracking and early-warning infrastructure.

‘The idea is something being shot down from space, but to do that you need very detailed landscape data of the entire North and you need access to the North,’ Chell said.

President Trump has long argued the U.S. must control Greenland for national security reasons, citing its strategic Arctic location and natural resources.

‘There needs to be infrastructure and oversight in the far north, in Canada, in Greenland, and places like that,’ Chell said. ‘All that planning has to be done well ahead of time, before we have anything operational.’

Chell also pointed to the potential role of drones in supporting the Golden Dome’s broader mission.

‘Drones could be part of informing the Golden Dome as reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence tools,’ he said, adding that the ‘entire military complex is integrated.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of War for comment.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

White House not budging on Democrats’ demands as DHS funding mutiny threatens government shutdown

The White House appears to be rejecting Democrats’ demands in the burgeoning government funding fight, as the chances of a partial shutdown grow larger by the day.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is threatening that Democrats will vote against the massive federal spending bill set to get a vote this week unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is stripped out and renegotiated.

Republicans have already signaled they’re not inclined to do so, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed during her Monday afternoon press conference.

Leavitt also pointed out that all the bills wrapped into the massive spending package are the product of bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate — meaning Democrats already had a say in the legislation they are now rejecting.

‘At this point, the White House supports the bipartisan work that was done to advance the bipartisan appropriations package, and we want to see that passed,’ President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman said.

‘Policy discussions on immigration in Minnesota are happening. Look, the president is leading those discussions, as evidenced by his correspondence with Governor Walz this morning. But that should not be at the expense of government funding for the American people.’

Democrats are coming out against the DHS funding bill en masse in the wake of another deadly federal law enforcement-involved shooting in Minneapolis. A Border Patrol agent shot Alex Pretti, a nurse who worked with veterans at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, during a wider protest against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city.

Both Republicans and Democrats have called for investigations into the fatal encounter, but only Democrats are threatening to put federal funding at risk.

Leavitt pointed out that the DHS funding portion would also allocate dollars to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), not just the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spending that Democrats object to.

‘We are in the midst of the storm that took place over the weekend, and many Americans are still being impacted by that. So we absolutely do not want to see that funding lapse,’ she said. ‘We want the Senate to move forward with passing the bipartisan appropriations package that was negotiated on a bipartisan basis.’

The legislation negotiated between Republicans and Democrats already includes guardrails for ICE, including mandating body-worn cameras and more training on public engagement and de-escalation.

But Pretti’s killing and DHS’s handling of it infuriated Democrats — at least several of whom will be needed to meet the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to advance the legislation.

Senate Republicans had wanted to pass the package as early as Thursday and send it to Trump’s desk just before the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline.

Senate Democrats held a private, caucus-wide call on the matter on Sunday, after which a source familiar told Fox News Digital that Schumer’s plan was to reject any DHS bill without several reforms, but that the broader, five-bill funding package could move ahead.

‘Basically, DHS is the problem and should be split from the package,’ they said.

But with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., taking the first procedural step to set up this week’s vote on the larger package on Monday, Democrats’ prospects of strong-arming the GOP are thin.

Even if Senate Democrats did prevail, it’s virtually guaranteed that Congress would miss the Friday shutdown deadline at this point.

Any changes to the spending package would require it to return to the House to be considered again, despite it passing the lower chamber last week.

But a House GOP leadership source told Fox News Digital of that prospect on Saturday, ‘We passed all 12 bills over to the Senate, and they still have six in their possession that they need to pass to the president. We have no plan to come back next week.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for a response.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Sports

NHL power rankings: Atlantic Division surges; Central slows

The NHL’s Central Division has cooled off and now the Atlantic Division is heating up.

The Colorado Avalanche have four regulation losses in their 10 games after having only two through Dec. 4. They still have a big lead in the Presidents’ Trophy race, but with 79 points in 50 games, they’re on pace for 129 points, short of the record held by the 2022-23 Boston Bruins (135).

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild also have slowed with just four wins each in their last 10 games, though the Utah Mammoth are charging.

In the Atlantic, the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and the Buffalo Sabres continue their turnaround with an 18-3-1 surge that puts them in better position to end a 14-season playoff drought. The Bruins are on a 8-2 run to move into a wild-card spot.

Here are the latest USA TODAY NHL power rankings:

NHL power rankings

Statistics are through Jan. 25. Number in parentheses indicates a change from two weeks ago.

1. Colorado Avalanche (0)

Forward Brock Nelson had a hat trick as the Avalanche defeated the Maple Leafs 4-1 to end a 1-2-2 slide. The U.S. Olympian ranks second on Colorado with 27 goals.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (+1)

The Lightning’s 15-game point streak ended as they fell 8-5 to the Blue Jackets despite a four-point game by Nikita Kucherov. He had 32 points during the team’s point streak.

3. Carolina Hurricanes (+2)

Struggling Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been mentioned in trade rumors. He has averaged a little more than 11 minutes a game and has two goals in 31 games while carrying a $4.82 million cap hit.

4. Detroit Red Wings (+2)

Patrick Kane is one point away from tying Hall of Famer Mike Modano for most points by a U.S.-born scorer. He could have tied in his last game, but one of his assists was taken away.

5. Minnesota Wild (-3)

Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin had surgery for a lower-body injury and will miss the Olympics. But fellow Olympians Matt Boldy (USA) and Joel Eriksson Ek (Sweden) appear good to go after returning from injuries.

6. Dallas Stars (-2)

Two Stars non-Olympians are putting up big numbers. Jason Robertson leads U.S. scorers with 30 goals. Wyatt Johnston (Canada) leads all NHL players with 17 power-play goals.

7. Buffalo Sabres (+3)

The Sabres have surged from outside the playoff picture to third in the Atlantic Division since changing general managers. Jarmo Kekalainen made his first major move by giving Josh Doan a seven-year extension.

8. Vegas Golden Knights (0)

Goaltender Adin Hill is 2-2 since returning from a long injury absence, but he has a .848 save percentage. He lost 7-1 to the Senators on Jan. 25.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (+4)

The Penguins went 4-0 in their western Canada trip, their first sweep there since 2018. British Columbia native Ben Kindel scored twice in a Jan. 25 win in Vancouver

10. Montreal Canadiens (-3)

The Canadiens have lost two in a row and dropped to a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

11. Boston Bruins (+5)

Forward David Pastrnak has six goals and 17 assists in his last 12 games. He has been held off the scoreboard once in that stretch, in which the Bruins have gone 10-2.

12. New York Islanders (-3)

Bo Horvat, the Islanders’ lone Olympian (Canada), returned on Jan. 24 from an injury that kept him out for nine games.

13. Florida Panthers (+5)

Matthew Tkachuk played his first game of the season on Jan. 19, but his appearance was overshadowed by the first NHL goalie fight in six years. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky charged down the ice to take on San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic, who had entered a scrum behind his net. The Panthers are 3-1 since Tkachuk returned.

14. Utah Mammoth (+7)

Goalie Karel Vejmelka, named to the Czech Olympic team, is 9-1 with 2.19 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in January.

15. Edmonton Oilers (-1)

Connor McDavid has been averaging two points a game since the start of December to move into the league’s scoring lead. He had five points, including an overtime win, against the Capitals on Jan. 24. Defenseman Evan Bouchard had three goals and three assists in that game.

16. Philadelphia Flyers (-5)

Forward Rodrigo Abols will miss the Olympics because of an ankle injury. He had been named to Team Latvia as one of the first six. Two of the Flyers’ other Olympians, Czechia’s Dan Vladar and Finland’s Rasmus Ristolainen, are on the injured list. They were at practice on Jan. 26.

17. Anaheim Ducks (+10)

The Ducks have won seven in a row after a nine-game winless streak. Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe is heading to the Olympics, replacing injured Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. Sweden’s Leo Carlsson had a procedure for a laceration and could miss the Games.

18. San Jose Sharks (+2)

Forward Kiefer Sherwood, acquired from the Canucks, is second in the league with 210 hits. The top Sharks player this season is Ryan Reaves with 133.

19. Los Angeles Kings (0)

The Kings caught a break when goalie Darcy Kuemper didn’t miss any games in an injury scare. He left a game after his arm went numb following a collision, but he started the Kings’ next game.

20. Seattle Kraken (-3)

The Kraken, who dropped out of a playoff spot in a 2-5-2 slide, pulled even in points with the Sharks and Kings for the second wild card spot. They remain out of a position because they have played one more game.

21. Toronto Maple Leafs (-9)

Injured Mitch Marner apologized on social media for making an obscene gesture while on camera. ‘sorry about my moment of frustration today!’ he posted on Jan. 25. ‘didn’t mean to upset anyone. looking forward to being back on ice and not in the stands.’

22. Columbus Blue Jackets (+6)

The Blue Jackets have gone 5-1 since firing coach Dean Evason and hiring Rick Bowness as a replacement.

23. New Jersey Devils (0)

Dougie Hamilton has a goal and eight assists in seven games since he sat out as a healthy scratch. The veteran’s production has risen with Luke Hughes out with an injury.

24. Washington Capitals (-9)

The Capitals have one win in their last six games, a stretch that included a regulation loss to the last-place Canucks. But by picking up a point in an overtime loss to the Oilers, they sit two points out of third place in the Metropolitan Division.

25. Ottawa Senators (-1)

Goaltender Linus Ullmark returned from his leave of absence on Jan. 25 as a backup. He told TSN he took the leave for mental health reasons and blasted the rumors that started. ‘People wonder why hockey players, professional athletes are not talking, why we’re not showing any sort of emotions, what mental health in men and women are a stigma,’ he said. ‘It took them less than 24 hours from my absence of leave to try to find reasons to why I’m gone, saying that I’m a homewrecker, a person that no one likes on the team.’

26. Nashville Predators (-4)

Steven Stamkos’ bounce-back season continues. He picked up his second hat trick of the season and has 25 goals in 51 games, two shy of his 2024-25 total in 82 games.

27. Chicago Blackhawks (-1)

Connor Bedard has been limited to one goal, four points and a minus 6 rating in eight games since he returned from a shoulder injury.

28. Winnipeg Jets (+3)

The Jets have been up and down this season as they try to avoid missing the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. They put together a four-game winning streak after ending an 11-game winless streak. But now they lost four of their last five games.

29. New York Rangers (-4)

General manager Chris Drury sent fans a letter indicating the team will retool. They won’t offer pending UFA Artemi Panarin a contract, per reports, meaning they have to work with him to waive his no-movement clause so they don’t lose him for nothing. Vincent Trocheck has been mentioned as a trade possibility.

30. Calgary Flames (-1)

The Flames dealt pending UFA defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights. Along with draft picks, they received defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who’s signed through 2028.

31. St. Louis Blues (-1)

32. Vancouver Canucks (0)

Forward Kiefer Sherwood, the subject of much trade speculation, was shipped to the Sharks for two second-round picks and American Hockey League defenseman Cole Clayton.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Giants bolster outfield by adding Gold Glove free agent

The San Francisco Giants have bolstered their outfield by landing free agent Harrison Bader on a two-year deal, according to multiple media reports.

The contract is worth $20.5 million, plus incentives.

Bader signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins last offseason and produced a .277/.347/.449 slash line with 17 home runs, 61 runs scored and 54 RBI in 146 games − all career highs.

He was especially productive down the stretch after being acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline. In 50 games with the Phils, Bader hit .305/.361/.463, in addition to playing stellar outfield defense.

Bader, 31, was a third-round draft choice by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. He made his MLB debut with the Cards in 2017 and played parts of six seasons, winning a Gold Glove with them in 2021 before being traded to the New York Yankees the following season.

He’s also spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets during his nine seasons in the majors.

A .247/.313/.401 career hitter, Bader has been even more valuable on defense. Since he debuted in 2017, no other outfielder can top Bader’s 77 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast.

He likely will take over as the Giants’ everyday center fielder, with Jung Hoo Lee moving from center to right field and Heliot Ramos as the likely starter in left.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

NCAA told a big, fat lie about NIL and college sports. Shocker, right?

The NCAA lied. You’re shocked, I know. Amateurism was not the glue to college sports’ popularity.
Business booming for college football, as salaries soar and TV ratings remain strong.
Women’s sports are enjoying a moment amid NIL and pay-to-play, too.

The NCAA lied. You’re shocked, I know.

In a 2014 court filing, a lawyer for the NCAA arguing against NIL payments and pay-for-play asserted the association’s amateurism model was paramount to its popularity.

The lawyer claimed the NCAA’s “commitment to amateurism” helped “enhance the viewership of college athletics.”

That, we now know, is a farce. A myth. A whopper of a tall tale.

Whatever problems college sports might face in this modern world, unpopularity is not among them.

Television ratings for the Indiana-Miami national championship game paint a portrait of a booming enterprise. The game averaged 30.1 million viewers on ESPN, according to figures released by the network. Viewership peaked at 33.2 million sets of eyeballs.

That’s good for the second-most watched College Football Playoff national championship ever. It’s the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since a 2016 World Series Game 7.

America loves an underdog. Indiana captivated us.

It’s not just college football. Popularity and viewership for women’s college sports is soaring, too. Last year’s Women’s College World Series and NCAA volleyball tournament set viewership records. With Caitlin Clark leading the way (and collecting checks from a bundle of endorsement deals), women’s basketball smashed viewership records in 2024.

So, I guess the NCAA’s “commitment to amateurism” wasn’t the key to viewership, after all. Shocker.

College sports are wildly popular amid pay-for-play

People like watching sports. They like rooting for their team and against their rival. If you’re among those fortunate enough to revel in your alma mater’s success, all the better.

In a scripted and curated world, people like watching something where they don’t know what comes next.

Maybe, a likable quarterback starring for a longtime lovable loser will juke past one defender, lower the boom on another, spin, dive and score on a fourth-down run that will take its place in history.

You watched that play, didn’t you? Maybe, Fernando Mendoza’s touchdown made you leap out of our seat.

Who gives a rip if Mendoza collected a big pay day off this season? He earned it, wouldn’t you say?

Everyone knows a guy who says he doesn’t like college sports as much anymore, now that athletes can profit off their fame and for their contributions to a lucrative enterprise.

Those folks will tell ya college sports ain’t what they used to be.

Well, neither are cellphones, but we’re still using them. We’re using them to watch college sports — and bet on them.

The conference commissioners, coaches and university brass who keep crying to Congress they’re mired in a world of hurt won’t admit it, but these are glory days for the College Sports Inc.

Athletic departments are reporting record revenues. The needle keeps moving up, up, up on coach and administrator salaries. You now can make seven figures being a college football team’s weightlifting coach. Remarkable.

Yes, athletes are collecting some of that green, too.

If the donors and TV networks funding this enterprise cannot continue to fund pay raises for all involved, well, then I suppose the market will regulate itself. That’s business.

Make no mistake, college sports is big business.

These words ring true: ‘The NCAA is not above the law.’

The Supreme Court wasn’t buying the lies the NCAA tried selling. In 2021, the high court ruled unanimously in a 9-0 opinion against the NCAA, and NIL went into effect that year.

Conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the most scathing rebuke of the NCAA’s amateurism model.

“The NCAA’s business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America,” Kavanaugh wrote. “All of the restaurants in a region cannot come together to cut cooks’ wages on the theory that ‘customers prefer’ to eat food from low-paid cooks. … Hospitals cannot agree to cap nurses’ income in order to create a ‘purer’ form of helping the sick.”

“The bottom line is,” Kavanaugh continued, “that the NCAA and its member colleges are suppressing the pay of student-athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in revenues for colleges every year.”

Kavanaugh hit the NCAA with a haymaker in his conclusion.

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate,” he wrote. “And under ordinary principles of antitrust law, it is not evident why college sports should be any different. The NCAA is not above the law.”

The NCAA keeps relearning that hard truth, that it’s not above the law, every time it gets dragged into court these past few years.

College sports face some legitimate issues. Last weekend, a basketball player fresh from the NBA’s G League played for Alabama against Tennessee. A judge who’s apparently a Crimson Tide donor granted Charles Bediako a temporary restraining order allowing him to suit up, nearly three years after he last played in college.

That smells fishy.

There’s a legit argument for some narrowly tailored legislation that allows the NCAA to enforce its eligibility rules.

As NCAA leaders seek solutions, though, they should do so without tethering their arguments to myths, like that old lie about amateurism being the engine toward existence.

The NCAA’s 2014 court filing called NIL an “anathema to amateurism.” Such fancy language is how an Ivy League lawyer depicts a boogeyman.

Truth is, college athletes are getting paid, business is booming, and fans cannot look away.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

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